Obsession with the customer drives Amazon success

This video is probably pretty old now judging by the look of Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com. However, it does bring to light something that is fast becoming the most important criteria to success in the global economy today.

Looking at Amazon’s rise to success seems rapid and overnight, but like any successful venture, there is significant amount of foundation that is unseen to make it happen. My Amazon account dates back to 1995 when I was an undergraduate in the US and it seemed like a novel way to buy books. No more driving twenty miles to Borders bookstore in sub-zero temperatures, snow and all just to get my favorite book. Let the UPS or FedEx driver brave the elements instead! Fast forward 25 years years since Amazon started, and the company is basically selling everything literally A to Z, but more importantly, it is also growing its technology portfolio of cloud, AI, smart assistant and other service offerings.

Watch the video attached here. The reporter seems to focus only on whether Amazon.com was a pure Internet play. I suppose, with the hindsight of the dotcom bubble, it’s easy to to laugh at this reporter but at that time, everything internet was the rage. I like how Bezos continuously deflects the questions back to the customer. Whether the company was a pure internet play, or whether the investors are concerned. It is about obsessive attention to the customer experience – end to end. And the last line is the best : There is never any misalignment between customer interest and shareholder interest.

So, let’s start today with an obsessive attention to the customer experience.